See results in 4 years by training just 2 hours a day!

I was having a read over Itosu’s 10 precepts this morning and this line leapt out at me:

“If one trains diligently for one or two hours every day, then in three or four years one will see a change in physique” – Anko Itosu

Itosu is therefore saying that somewhere between 1095 hours and 2920 a student should see a change in physique. This comes from Itosu’s 1908 document in which he was essentially selling his art to the authorities (the translation of which that I had commissioned several years ago is copied below). What struck me is that to sell a fighting system or physical conditioning program today, people would not want to hear that over 1000 hours were needed as a minimum! What they would want is something along the lines of, “In only a few minutes a day, you will be a lethal fighting machine with washboard abs in under 6 weeks!” Shame the value of consistent work over long periods is now no longer widely recognised. No one wants to “pay their dues” and people want immediate results.

I don’t think Itosu is being “reluctantly honest” here; I simply think that it would never occur to him to “promise the impossible” in a way that is so frequently done today. Itosu also says as part of his 3rd precept:

“Karate cannot be quickly learned. Like a slow moving bull, it eventually travels a thousand leagues” – Anko Itosu

Again, we see no promise of “quick results”. Instead we see a realistic explanation that consistent training over a long period can deliver great results. Itosu’s “advertising” is very different than the advertising we see today. It’s honest and truthful and hence, to me at least, very appealing!

All the best,

Iain

Itosus 10 Precepts (Iains transaltion) wrote:

Karate did not develop from Buddhism or Confucianism. In the past the Shorin-ryu school and the Shorei-ryu school were brought to Okinawa from China. Both of these schools have strong points and I therefore list them below just as they are without embellishment.

1. Karate is not merely practiced for your own benefit; it can be used to protect one’s family or master. It is not intended to be used against a single assailant but instead as a way of avoiding injury by using the hands and feet should one by any chance be confronted by a villain or ruffian.

2. The purpose of karate is to make the muscles and bones hard as rock and to use the hands and legs as spears. If children were to begin training naturally in military prowess while in elementary school, then they would be well suited for military service. Remember the words attributed to the Duke of Wellington after he defeated Napoleon, “Today’s battle was won on the playing fields of our schools”.

3. Karate cannot be quickly learned. Like a slow moving bull, it eventually travels a thousand leagues. If one trains diligently for one or two hours every day, then in three or four years one will see a change in physique. Those who train in this fashion will discover the deeper principles of karate.

4. In karate, training of the hands and feet are important, so you should train thoroughly with a sheaf of straw (#). In order to do this, drop your shoulders, open your lungs, muster your strength, grip the floor with your feet, and concentrate your energy into your lower abdomen. Practice using each arm one to two hundred times each day.

5. When you practice the stances of karate, be sure to keep your back straight, lower your shoulders, put strength in your legs, stand firmly, and drop your energy into your lower abdomen.

6. Practice each of the techniques of karate repeatedly. Learn the explanations of every technique well, and decide when and in what manner to apply them when needed. Enter, counter, withdraw is the rule for torite.

7. You must decide if karate is for your health or to aid your duty.

8. When you train, do so as if on the battlefield. Your eyes should glare, shoulders drop, and body harden. You should always train with intensity and spirit as if actually facing the enemy, and in this way you will naturally be ready.

9. If you use up your strength to excess in karate training, this will cause you to lose the energy in your lower abdomen and will be harmful to your body. Your face and eyes will turn red. Be careful to control your training.

10. In the past, many masters of karate have enjoyed long lives. Karate aids in developing the bones and muscles. It helps the digestion as well as the circulation. If karate should be introduced, beginning in the elementary schools, then we will produce many men each capable of defeating ten assailants.

If the students at teacher training college learn karate in accordance with the above precepts and then, after graduation, disseminate this to elementary schools in all regions, within 10 years karate will spread all over Okinawa and to mainland Japan. Karate will therefore make a great contribution to our military. I hope you will seriously consider what I have written here – Anko Itosu, October 1908

(#) – Translator not a martial artist and hence translated the word “Makiwara” to “Sheath of Straw” when leaving the word un-translated would have been fine.

In the book Outliers: The Story of Success Malcolm Gladwell says it take something around 10,000 hours of practice to become an expert at something. Be it playing an musical instrument, writing computer code, playing a sport, ect. This was based of various studies. One looking at a group of students that studied the violin. All started at the same time and in the same program. All had meet the requirements to get in so they should have all be equally capable or exceeding. After several years they found:

1 group (most of them) had reduced the amount they practiced over time - these became average or below players and had jobs teaching in non-prestigious schools.

Another group practiced more than the 1st group and were good players and had good jobs teaching at good schools or playing with respectable companies.

The last group kept the rate of practice up and even increased - these became the great players and had the prestigious playing appointments. This group had put in around 10,000 hrs of practice and kept practicing.

If you do something for 8 hrs a day, 5 days a week, you will have 10,000 hrs in 5 years.

“If one trains diligently for one or two hours every day, then in three or four years one will see a change in physique” – Anko Itosu

What struck me is that to sell a fighting system or physical conditioning program today, people would not want to hear that over 1000 hours were needed as a minimum! What they would want is something along the lines of, “In only a few minutes a day, you will be a lethal fighting machine with washboard abs in under 6 weeks!” Shame the value of consistent work over long periods is now no longer widely recognised. No one wants to “pay their dues” and people want immediate results.

I see this quite frequently today and find it very disturbing. It's the magic pill theory applied to fighting. "Give me a magic pill and I'll do this, that or the other without having to be disciplined, dedicated, or change my habits."

It's the long term effects of training that change not only our bodys, but our attitudes as well. The discipline behind a long term commitment to karate can also be applied to other areas of our lives. People sometimes ask me how karate has helped me in life. Well, I'm not so sure its karate as much as it is the commitment and dedication to karate thats enhanced my personal life.

Just this morning I was checking out an online class schedule for a local college that offers karate classes as part of its physcial education program. All the classes were for 45 min to 55 min and were held once a week. I thought, my gosh how you teach anyone karate during that small space of time? But the people who attend these classes are happy with what they get. They go put on their white gis, perform whatever kind of movements then go home feeling content that they've exercised and attended karate. Its a far cry from my first dojo which was open 6 days a week, 5 hours a day and for the small fee of $15.00 a month you could workout as long and hard as you wanted too.

I agree with both Iain and Itosu. You have to train everyday, especially during the first 3-5 years, if you're going to establish a foundation and make progress. Karate isn't easy, but then again anything done easy isn't going to help you.

I thought, my gosh how you teach anyone karate during that small space of time? But the people who attend these classes are happy with what they get. They go put on their white gis, perform whatever kind of movements then go home feeling content that they've exercised and attended karate.

I guess there is a general culturally shift towards people wanting things faster and more immediately. And there is no doubt that a section of the “martial arts industry” caters to that.

Ultimately there is a problem at that heart of that with regards to longevity though. The student that is attracted by the promise if being a “black belt” in 12 months is unlikely to train for years and years with a strong and consistent effort. And for those that are – and who just stumbled into that particular group – they are likely to leave and seek instruction elsewhere when they realise that what they are being taught has no depth and no longevity. I’ve seen both scenarios play out countless times.

This therefore guarantees a high turnover where new students are needed all the time. Perhaps one of the reasons groups like this are so good at marketing is that they need to be if that group is to keep going? No basis for the establishment of a long term group and for developing high-level martial artists though.